Easy ways to meditate

Meditation is simply learning to create a gap between stimulus and response. You can learn to hit the pause button and rest in the present moment, without getting so entangled in the past or the future, the sensations, judgments, opinions, ideas, worries, stories, sounds, sights, fears or whatever else arises within us or around us.  Ever felt at peace in nature or sitting by the ocean?  These are meditative moments, and be integrated into everyday living.

Here is an easy guide to a simple meditation practice:

1.         Straighten your spin and relax your shoulders.  Eyes can be open or closed. You can sit in a chair or on a mat and cushion, whichever you prefer.

2.         Take three slow, deep breaths, breathe in counting to four and breathe out counting to six.

3.         Bring your awareness into your body, aware specifically of how your feet feel against the floor.

4.         Allow the breath to find its natural rhythm.

5.         Focus awareness on the tiny sensations of breathing in and breathing out.

6.         It’s normal that thoughts and feelings, even sounds and other sensations will arise.  Imagine each one to be like a cloud floating across the sky.  Practice finding a balance of simply being aware of them as if they were all clouds, without trying to hang on to any of them AND not trying to push anything away. 

7.         There will be exact moments when you realize that you are distracted.  Each of those moments of realization can be celebrated, because those are moments of awareness. Then, just return to focusing on your breath.

Here are some extra tips for easing into meditation:

·   Set your worries aside:  Find a blank piece of paper and a pen to set beside you as you meditate.  If a specific worry, concern or action item arises that is difficult to let go, write it down on the paper, then return to focusing on your breath.  Your worry or concern will still be there when you are done. 

·   Phone calls:  Each time the phone rings, take three deep aware-full breaths before you answer and three more after you hang up.  How wonderful to have a meditation reminder so close at hand as your phone!  Bring awareness to how the content of phone calls impact your thoughts, feelings and sensations. 

·   Red lights or standing in line:  Instead of letting irritation arise while you’re driving or waiting in line, imagine using each delay as an opportunity to be aware and breathe deeply, aware of internal sensations, emotions, thoughts, as well as externally aware of the people and circumstances around you. To add an extra benefit, use the power of your imagination to wish everyone around you more happiness in their life, simply by radiating out a sense of loving-kindness and compassion for each person.

·   A wristband or rubber band:  Wearing something like those simple plastic colored bracelets or even just a rubber band can be a visual reminder to take a few deep aware-full breaths throughout the day. 

·   Every time you walk through a doorway:  Use this regular activity to create a moment of awareness.  Our minds often race ahead to where we’re going or are still processing what happened in the room we just left.  This simple practice helps create a little gap in the present moment to pause and be aware.

Why meditate?

Here is an interview I gave last November about writing Meditation for Non-Meditators (thanks Makasha!):

by Makasha Dorsey

MEDITATION FOR NON-MEDITATORS: LEARN TO MEDITATE IN FIVE MINUTES BY JANET TAYLOR

By Makasha DorseyNov 21, 2014friday findsbook, friday find, interviews, Janet Taylor, meditation

There are many common misconceptions about meditation. Want to learn how to most easily incorporate this powerful, beneficial practice into your everyday life?

Despite popular belief, you don’t need to become a full-time Zen master or give up your demanding job. All you need is a few minutes per day to hit the pause button, and you’re well on your way to creating the positive changes you need.

Whether you’ve never tried meditation before, or you’ve found the practice too time consuming or complicated, Meditation for Non-Meditators is for you. In a straightforward, accessible manner, this helpful guide covers the three practices of meditation: concentration, natural awareness, and positive imagery. You’ll learn what does and what does not constitute meditation, while debunking some popular myths along the way.

Without any religious undertones or spiritual buzzwords, you’ll get all the information you need to begin a daily meditation practice, including how to set up a meditation space, how to meditate with others, and how to use meditation to encourage healthier eating.

Forget the arcane language and impossible positions found in other meditation guides—this book breaks the practice down into the simplest methods possible so that it’s easy to incorporate into even the most hectic of lifestyles.

You may purchase a copy of Meditation for Non-Meditators: Learn to Meditate in Five Minutes on Amazon

Interview with Janet Taylor

When did you realize you had a book (or some books) inside you?
For my book Meditation for Non-Meditators, I decided to write it when I felt my specific research on making meditation practical and accessible could benefit many people who either never tried meditation or had tried and “failed”;. I was excited about getting others excited to try meditation, and about providing easy ways to get started, as well as to expand the ways to practice.

Why is the theme of this project important?
For the last six years, I have focused all my energies on teaching and practicing meditation at a Community Center here in Kansas City as well as as with a wide variety of audiences throughout the country. I have seen the difference meditation can make in a person’s life, my own included. As an example, there are two young men who are war veterans who meditate with us. They returned several years ago with severe PTSD. After four years of meditation, both of them have been able to not only return to a normal life, but have gone beyond their old way of being–they are thriving as a result of their dedication to these practices.

What did you learn about yourself while writing this book?
Writing a book is far more difficult than I expected! I learned that my perfectionist tendencies can transform a difficult project into a absolutely painful one. I realized that I had to be willing to ask for help, and not be offended when someone has feedback with which I may not agree. I learned I cannot please everyone!

How do you find time to write?
It began as a work of inspiration. I set aside time each morning to write, because I knew that was my most productive part of the day. Then, it required some discipline because the editing process can be tedious and challenging. I went to India for three weeks just before the book was to be completed and spent a few hours each day making the final edits. Also, I was on deadline to finish it by the end of the year to coincide with a new class I was teaching and an article that was coming out in Real Simple Magazine. Having a specific deadline helped me prioritize the completion of the book.

If you could work on a writing project with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be? Why?
Samantha Bee, author of I know I am but what are you? and writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her writing style is quirky and the content hilarious! I am sure that she would be not only inspiring as a collaborator, but we would have a a fabulously fun time.

About Janet Taylor

Janet Taylor is an ex-corporate executive for a Fortune 100 company, turned American Buddhist Nun. She is an author of Buddhism For Non-Buddhists: A Guide to Ease Suffering and Be Happy and Meditation for Non-Meditatiors: Learn to Meditate in Five Minutes. She is a meditation/mindfulness expert that discusses the ease and benefits of meditation with regards to business and helping employee productivity and easing stress.

You can learn more about Janet Nima Taylor at http://serenitypause.org/resources/

orsey

Makasha Dorsey is an award-winning author, motivational speaker and public relations publicist. Her personal essay Diary of an Aspie Mom is included in The Motherhood Diaries (Strebor Books/Simon & Schuster). She blogs about being a writer, mother, wife, woman and Christian over at a wife in progress and has written for Absolute Write, The Midwest Book Review, Snaps1000Words, The Daily Times Leader, and ModVive Magazine. You can purchase a copy of her book First Family Secrets on Amazon.com.

Just sit, just breathe, just be

Sometimes, we make things too complicated. One simple way I've found to reset my attitude is giving myself permission to do absolutely nothing for five minutes.  I set an alarm and just sit wherever I happen to be--in my car, on the couch (with TV off), or at my desk (with computer off). Meditation need not be a big to do!  Give yourself permission to set aside whatever might be worrisome or challenging, and just sit, just breathe and just be.  Scientific research shows that, when trying to solve a difficult problem, it is helpful to set the problem aside for a few minutes. Taking this small break improves our critical thinking skills when we return to the problem with fresh eyes (and a fresh brain!)

Another tip is to write down on a piece of paper exactly what the problem is, then set that paper aside for five minutes. This can demonstrate to your mind that you give yourself permission to stop thinking about it.

If you feel to anxious trying to sit still and do nothing, feel free to get up and take a walk for five minutes (with cellphone off).  Just walk, just breathe and just be--it truly can be that simple.

Be happy being!

Keeping Calm in the middle of the Chaos—some meditative tools for the Fourth of July

Setting off fireworks may seem like a strange time to practice meditation, but what better time to be fully present in the moment than when handling gunpowder and an open flame?  The Fourth of July is an excellent time to practice the three key components of most meditative practices:  Concentration, Natural Awareness, and Positive Imagery.

Many people think that meditation is just a process practiced while sitting quietly in the pretzel position.  Thank goodness that we have many more, even better opportunities to practice these time-tested tools.  Let’s take a look at how you might integrate these three techniques into any moment of any day.

First, we begin with concentration.  As you are reading these words, stop for a few moments and be aware of the tiny sensations of breathing in and breathing out.  You can have your eyes open or closed-either way is okay.  Concentrating on your breath for a few moments actually lowers your blood pressure and can help decrease the stress hormones in your body.  To get started, you might even breathe in counting to four, and breathe out counting to six.  A longer outbreath automatically slows down your heartbeat.

It’s normal that random thoughts and feelings, even sounds and sensations, will arise when you practice concentration.  Instead of trying to ignore them or push them away, try incorporating them INTO the meditative experience by imagining each one to be nothing more than a cloud floating by in the sky.  We notice the distraction and then return to the focusing on the breath.  You can practice concentration while you flip the hamburgers on the grill, or while sitting poolside watching the children play. 

Second, we can practice being more aware of our surroundings. Right now, gently gaze straight ahead for a few moments, expanding your peripheral vision.  You can pick an imaginary “spot” about three feet in front of your eyes.  Gently focus on that spot, then expand your awareness to radiate out in all directions. Practice simply being aware and present to whatever arises, moment by moment.  This practice is sometimes called Choiceless Awareness or Neutral Curiosity.  When you are in midst of a party, surrounded by family and friends and noise and conversation and whatever else arises, this practice helps you be more fully present in the midst of it all. 

Third, we can practice cultivating positive emotions.  Whenever families or friends are gathered, a myriad of feelings and situations may arise.  We can use whatever happens as a chance to cultivate a sense of loving-kindness and compassion, both for ourselves and for others.  Neurological research now proves that imagining these positive emotions creates more positive neural networks in our brains, enabling us to more naturally and more often experience them.

My father-in-law LOVED fireworks, and each year he would try to outdo himself with new gadgets and inventions to create even higher arcs for all flying objects.  He lived far enough out of the city that there no laws were broken, but I still consider it a miracle that no appendages or eyes were lost.  Whether his experiments succeeded or failed, he didn’t seem to mind either way.  He was completely in the moment and found great joy in every colorful explosion and loud noise. He recalled great happiness in seeing his grandchildren mesmerized by his tenacity, enthusiasm and pyrotechnical feats.

What better time to try to be present than when a Roman Candle whizzes by your head?  Happy Fourth of July!

Thanks to Organic Spa for posting this article!  Check them out at http://blog.organicspamagazine.com/

Teaching Kids Self-Regulation Through the Practice of Meditation

Here's my latest article in "Macaroni Kids" on teaching kids to meditate:

When I tell parents that we teach meditation to kids as young as five years old, most parents wince with disbelief! It may seem impossible to get young kids to do anything that includes being quiet and sitting still, but we have discovered that kids actually love the practice, when introduced to it in small, bite-size pieces. First, it is helpful to de-mystify meditation. At its most basic, meditation is nothing more than creating a gap between stimulus and response, and research shows that children who can practice impulse control are more likely to be successful later in life. (You can google the now-famous “Stanford University marshmallow experiment”.)

Here is an easy meditation practice that you can try with your children at home. Find a bell or gong, something that has some resonance to it. Before ringing the bell, ask them to raise their hand when they can no longer hear the sound of the bell. This initial practice teaches them concentration.

Then, try the silent walking game—before beginning the walk, encourage the children to look at the world around them and be aware of what colors, sounds and smells they encounter—they can point to something interesting and do pantomime, but without talking. This exercise increases their awareness of what is going on around them.

After a short walk, give them an interesting photo or painting to look at, and ask them to write down (or draw) whatever comes to mind. This process teaches them to be aware of their thoughts and emotions. It’s great to have a discussion with them about what they wrote or the picture they drew. We find that many kids come up with amazing stories and deeply connect with what they see and feel.

Lastly, give them some examples of positive emotions--like smiling, love, happiness, joy, laughter.  Ask them to describe to you what these emotions feel like. “What does it feel like in your body when you laugh?” “How would you describe the feeling of happy?” “When you feel like smiling, what does that feel like in your body?” This process is designed to strengthen their ability to imagine positive emotions in greater detail and to gain confidence that they can create the experience of a positive emotion, even if their external circumstances haven’t changed or when they are having some difficulty.

These simple practices incorporate the three key components of meditation: concentration, natural awareness and positive imagery. If done on a regular basis, we have children who will actually ask their parents to “meditate” with them. It is wonderful bonding and calm time, for both parent and child. You can find out more about meditation at SerenityPause.org. Enjoy!

Janet Nima Taylor is a meditation teacher and author of Meditation for Non-Meditators: Learn to Meditate in Five Minute a Day, available at Amazon.com.


http://national.macaronikid.com/article/716438/teaching-kids-self-regulation-through-the-practice-of-meditation

One Easy Meditation Tool for today

Starting in June, I will be doing a three-minute segment each month on meditation tips and tools at our local station Channel 4 here in Kansas City, and will post the links.  I'm so excited to share several easy ways to get a meditation practice started and begin integrating meditative moments into every day.  We are finalizing the details this week, and I'll be back with more information.

EASY MEDITATION TOOL: One simple way to begin being more present is to put a rubber band on your wrist as a reminder to take three slow, full deep breaths a few times throughout the day.  It helps to breathe in counting to four, and breathe out counting to six.  Research shows that a longer outbreath automatically lowers your blood pressure, and actually pulls more oxygen into your body--getting oxygenated is a good thing!  Whenever you notice the rubber band, take three meditative breaths.  Eyes open and no one will know that you are getting into your meditative groove!  It's a great tool to use before stressful meetings or interactions with difficult people.  Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

Happy Wednesday!
Nima

Five Minutes and Five Moments

Most people make starting a meditation practice too big of a deal--like the a big decision to start a new diet (which often leads to failure AND more guilt). I've found far greater success when people begin with the smallest of baby steps--five minutes and five moments.  First, find five minutes sometime during the day to do nothing but be aware of the tiny sensations of breathing.  It can be in your car before you put the key in the ignition, or sitting at your desk, or hiding out in the restroom ( that is a great place to meditate while at work :-).

Second, find five moment throughout the day when you decide to be fully aware of all the sensations, emotions and thoughts happening in one moment--like when your feet first touch the floor in the morning, or when you take that first sip of coffee or tea.  It's helpful to decide the night before what five moments you commit to being present, and write them down as a reminder.  Then, go easy on yourself when you forget. I've often had to get back into bed and begin again because I wasn't "present" for the first arising.

These two baby steps can lead to big changes. The Grand Canyon didn't happen in one day--it was simply water wearing away rock little by little.  Enjoy!